#27 Sizzle your socks off - OKC

Race #28 was called "Sizzle your Socks" and was held on June 21st in beautiful Stars and Stripes Park in Oklahoma City.  The race benefited the Hospice program in Oklahoma.  Given the theme of the race...we wore crazy socks selected by my nieces.  They decided that the socks weren't crazy enough by themselves...we had to wear one from each pair to truly qualify as "crazy".  

Note I am note wearing the socks as knee highs.  It's Oklahoma and it's 83 degrees at 8AM.

My sister joined me in this effort.  My sister is a serious runner.  She runs and bikes and swims.  She trains for half-marathons.  She competes in triathlons (which are combination events of biking, running, shooting, or running, skipping and debating, or screaming, ranting and flailing. Those are my favorite.)  

But I digress.  It's more important to note that she is a serious runner because: she got GEAR.  I mean I have gear. Sort of.  I have a nifty phone holder thingy, but she got serious gear.  A Garmin-watch-counter thing.  It keeps track of your time, your pace, your heart rate, and the current exchange ratio from pounds to dollars as well as the current times in New York and Tokyo. 

Not really, but it would be cool if it did.

At the beginning of the race, she says to me "How about we go for your best PR?!"  Post Race?  Pre-Race?  Proper Roads?

Personal Record.  My best time.  To do that I have to run. Consistently.  That's what the Garmin is for.  Challenge accepted.

So we run for a minute. Recover for a minute. (I have my doubts about anything I do involving active "recovery").  And she tells me, "Breathe.  In through your nose, out through your mouth."  She sounds like my kids.  Telling me that I'm breathing wrong.  But I do it.  She keeps asking me, "All right?  You okay?"  In fairness, I have a tendency to pass out.  Due to heat.  Or not eating.  Or low blood sugar.  Or annoying questions.  

Recovery.

We managed to stay on pace and kept up with the beeping Garmin. and managed to run to the finish line.  And not passed out.  Or require any form of medical attention.  So that's a win.  For both of us.

And I logged my Personal Record 46:23.

Go Team!

#26 Hatfield-McCoy 5k

Now we are entering the second half of this challenge.....#26 was the Hatfield-McCoy 5K held in Wiliamson, WV.  

The Hatfield-McCoy feud is legendary in American folklore. Families (filled with backwoods, country-f**ks) kill large numbers of another family filled with toothless, back-a**wards country bumpkins.  Sometimes they tie them to trees and kill them, other times they set the house on fire and shoot them as they try to escape.  And ownership of a pig is at the center of the feud. 

Whatever.  Good times in American History.

The McCoy clan in Kentucky killed a bunch of Hatfields in West Virginia.  The Hatfields retaliated and killed a bunch of McCoys.  With a nod to Romeo and Juliette, one of the McCoy daughters fell in love with Hatfield son.  (After he gets her pregnant, he dumps her and married her cousin....I cannot make this shit up.)

Backwoods.  Cousin-marrying.  Hillbilly.



So it is no surprise that the two gentlemen pictured above are at every event for the weekend.  They even start the race.  The announcer says, "This race starts with a gun.  If you don't like that, he's got another gun."

My intrepid walking partner, Jo, and I decided that we were going to "dress" for this event.  I mean where else can you wear a overall tutu ensemble?  The outfit seemed to be made for this event, don't you think?

Each participant is regulated to one of the teams.  I was a real McCoy.  Jo was a true Hatfield. The race begins in beautiful downtown Williamson.  All two blocks of it. We meandered around this little town, passing historical markers which highlighted events in the Hatfield-McCoy feud.  It would be correct to say that it is probably still going on today, even though they claim to be "No Feudin' - Just Runnin'"  

After the race, Jo and I went to search for Rocky who was running the Marathon.  This race is listed as one of the top 15 races in the country due to its difficulty.  Starting in Kentucky, crossing over into West Virginia, it is appealing to runners because you can count it for either state.  Or you can do the first half-marathon.  Or the second half-marathon.  Or you could do both halves.  You know, if you're into that kind of a thing.

We stayed for the after street party and had some of the best corn on the cob ever.  Music in the streets, good food, and then, there was this guy:

This marathon was his 100th.  He brought all his medals from previous races and was quite the celebrity.  You know, for downtown Williamson, WV.

#25 Winton Place Youth Center 5K

I have reached the half-way point....5K race #25 benefited the Winton Place Youth Center.  It provides a safe place for kids in the neighborhood with after school care and tutoring. This was the 1st Annual event of its kind and was held in Spring Grove Cemetery.

The Spring Grove Cemetery holds a historic reverence in Cincinnati as it is a very large cemetery that is the final resting place of numerous pioneers, soldiers and famous citizens. Not having grown up in Cincinnati, some of this escapes me, but suffice it to say these people had streets named for them. Or Buildings.

We didn't have clear directions as to exactly where in the cemetery the race started and there are several entrances. God forbid you put up signs...or balloons to mark the way.   It's better to have people drive aimlessly around for awhile, zig-zagging through the tombstones and down dead-end paths in an effort to find the Start.  Finally we ask someone. And they didn't know.  So we ask someone else. and they directed us like this:

    "Take the first left, and then go right across the      path.  When you come to the gate, turn around three times, then go to your left.  When you get to the large oak tree, ask the fairy sitting underneath it if she has the magic dust."

We smile and nod, and say, "okay!"  Get back in the car and go.  Don't turn around. Keep driving.

The grounds are beautifully kept. Numerous ponds and fountains abound.  Kind of an oasis in the midst of the city. And kind of a little creepy.  Not midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  And no zombies.  It was broad daylight. Plenty of visibility.  But still.

The cemetery boasts over 1200 species of trees available for study and research. Trees are marked to signify their importance. (Tallest tree, Oldest Tree, Last of a species, Really Good Firewood, etc...)

We arrived moments before the start and it was a casual affair.  The start went like this: "Okay everybody, line up.  And.....go." 

No funny costumes for this race.  No creepy stories of fighting off zombies.  or the Living Dead. or prizes of Beer afterwards.  But fun.  In an average kind of way.

Half way done.  Stay tuned.

  

#24 The Great Human Race

#24 was the Great Human Race to benefit the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education.  Located on Montgomery Road near the Kenwood neighborhood, it promotes tolerance, inclusion and social justice based on lessons from the Holocaust.  

This was only the 4th Annual race for this event, so the number of participants was relatively small.

I walked with Jo and my daughter, Lauren, who insisted on coming because her friend, Steven Anderson, helped develop an online exhibit for the Center. It can be viewed here: Worthy of a Voice: People with Disabilities during the Holocaust

Lauren has read Anne Frank's diary.  She was horrified to learn about the mass slaughter of people under the Nazis. She wanted to walk, "because it was important" she said.

I informed her that this walk would have no doughnuts or tequila shots in the middle of it, like a previous walk (See #20 FatAss5K).  She just rolled her eyes and mumbled something about "my mom is a dork" 

All righty then.  Let's go.

The walk meandered around the Kenwood neighborhood surrounding the Center.  And again we were just steps ahead of the final police car, returning the streets to normalcy after the race had completed.  We did managed to place ahead of the man carrying the toddler and the two other strollers groups.  They weren't going to gain on us, no sir.  Lauren did keep up with us and only required dousing with the water bottle 3 times.

She perked up considerably when Rocky appeared in the neighborhood about 300 hundred yards from the finish and encouraged her to run as she crossed the finish line.  

In the gathering area after the race, awards were distributed and food was plentiful. The organizers recognized many larger groups including several congregations from area synagogues.  (I was tempted to claim to be representing a group from All Saints Parish, but after re-thinking ...realized this was poor form.) They were generous in their thanks as this event helps to support various educational programs about inclusion for school-aged children.   

A fitting reminder that no matter the speed or the impact, or the significance or the size, we all have a contribution to make and a story to tell.

That morning, as we stumbled across the finish line ahead of four toddler groups, we were ahead of everybody else still at home on the couch.

On to brunch....bacon awaits.

#23 Hunger Walk 5K

Sometimes the charity walk creates more questions than answers.

#23 was the Hunger Walk 5K which benefited the Freestore Foodbank.  This agency serves 20 counties in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana.  Working with food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, community centers and residential programs, it feeds 300,000 people annually.  The Freestore FoodBank collects food from a variety of sources.   They utilize a network of churches and community organizations to collect food and bring it to their warehouse for distribution. 

They have a program called Power Packs which gives kids shelf stable food during the school year to use over the weekend as there may be no food at home.  Another program helps out when the kids are out of school for the summer.  Another program, Kids Cafe, offers kids a hot meals after school and tutoring assistance as well.  They even have a community garden in Melbourne, KY which provides fresh produce for those in need.

This is all good stuff.  I can get behind it.

Just before the walk began, the announcer rattled off some statistics about hunger for the area.  The most surprising one was Cincinnati ranks #2 in the nation for child poverty.

Let me say that again.  Cincinnati ranks #2 (behind Detroit) with 53.1% of children below the poverty line.

That is unacceptable.  No other word for it.

So imagine my surprise when we cross the finish line and head to the after party area.  There are tents (perhaps 15 or so) and each one has a treat of some sort. Each participant is given a bag and can fill it with the treats you want.

I walk away from a HUNGER walk, with enough snacks to choke a horse.  Granola bars, gatorade, water bottles, rice krispy treats, peanuts, nutri-grain bars, crackers, more gatorade, oranges, chips, bananas, and bagels.  I mean, boxes of this stuff.  Spread all over the tables.

I am more than a little confused as to why this bounty was given to the racers instead of to hungry people.  With the exception of the Rice Krispy Treats (which I will happily eat so the hungry don't have to force down something so un-nutritious) everything appeared to be a great addition to a deficient diet.

So I am stymied.  If hunger is a problem...how does this solve it?

#22 River Run 2014

#22 was the River Run.  The course started in Newport, KY, crossed the bridge over the Licking River into Covington, circled around the gorgeous homes on Riverside Drive and then back to the Newport Aquarium, across the Ohio River on the Taylor-Southgate Bridge, (that's the blue one), across Pete Rose Way in Ohio and onto the Purple People Bridge and ending at Newport on the Levee.  An after party is at Arnie's on the Levee and as a participant in the run, I am entitled to a beer. Yes!

It was a fantastic morning, sunny but not too hot and a breeze was blowing.  The race benefited Kicks for Kids, a non-profit organization which helps kids by "leveling the playing field for kids at risk".  Doesn't matter what the challenge is, ...physical, mental, or the environment in which they live, this group partners with other kid's organizations to offer assistance.

I am walking this race with Jo, my trusty walking partner and Karen, from my book club.  But to say that I know Karen only from my book club would be misleading. (oh, intrigue...)

Karen doesn't know this but she holds a place in my heart because she showed up.  Many years ago, she and her daughter were the only ones to show up at an event for my daughter.  (Yes, we picked a busy weekend, yes, it was last minute, yes, it was a great deal to ask of friends and acquaintances on short notice.)  But she showed up.  With her daughter.  And smiles on their faces.  Sometimes showing up with a smile helps more than you know and is the only thing required.

Last year, Karen moved out of suburbia and over to Newport after her youngest child graduated high school.  She is loving the downtown city life, the restaurants, the events and walking everywhere.  I am sorely tempted to moved next door...but then I would be stalking...and that's not the right direction to go.  So my therapist says.

But I digress.  

Okay, so to recap...we have a fabulous day, we are helping little kids, the route takes us through parts of residential Newport and Covington that I haven't seen before, I am walking with two fantastic people, and we get beer afterwards.

It's going to be a great day.    And it was.

The only thing we passed on was the beer afterwards.  Let me explain.  

The walk went well and we were going at a pretty good clip. By the time we crossed the finish line, we had made arrangements with Rocky to meet us for brunch at the French Crust Cafe on Vine Street.  It's her new favorite thing.

And now it's mine as well.  Quiche, buttery croissants, pastries and really good coffee.  Beats a beer in the morning every time.

Dangerously close to half-way, folks   ...stay tuned.